Campaign 2012

Obama Approval Rating Up in April

Highest level since the killing of Osama bin Laden last May.

President Obama’s approval rating rose by one point in April to 47 percent, the highest average approval rating since last May and the death of Osama bin Laden, according to new data by Gallup.

Gallup credits the average to a rise in popularity among independent voters—an eight-point swing since last August. He sits at 43 percent approval with independents, with 48 percent of those voters who disapprove of his job performance. He does, however, have an advantage with independent women.

This time last year, the president’s approval rating was at 44 percent, seeing further lows of 41 percent by the end of the summer. However, he now sits solidly in the upper-40 percentile. The Gallup report says that Obama also hit 50 percent on a few occasions this month.

Gallup points out that both George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter’s approval ratings were headed in a downward direction during their election years, but those who have generally been reelected were above 50 percent. The president and his likely Republican rival Mitt Romney are essentially tied at this stage in the election.